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Arline Kardasis, Rikk Larsen, Crystal Thorpe, and Blair Trippe. Mom Always Liked You Best: A Guide to Resolving Family Feuds, Inheritance Battles & Eldercare Crises. Elder Decisions. 2011. 123 pages. $14.95 from Amazon (Click on book to order). Making decisions about elderly parents can cause conflict even in the best of families. In this book, Read Full Article

When one spouse suffers from dementia, the other spouse often must take over managing the couple’s finances, usually with the help of a power of attorney. But things don’t always go smoothly with financial institutions. Just ask Chicago resident Eva Kripke, who has been handling money matters since her husband, Sidney, was diagnosed with Lewy Read Full Article

Thinking about a time when you will need help taking care of yourself is not fun. That is why most people put off discussing long-term care until it can’t be ignored. But it is better to start long-term care planning early. Here are some reasons to start planning now: People are living longer and are Read Full Article

Q.  My husband has become frail, and his doctor says he may need to go into a nursing home. However, neither of us is happy with that plan. I want to keep him home. Is there a program that might help us? A.  Yes. The “Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly” (“PACE”) may Read Full Article

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced it will now permit states to extend Medicaid long-term care protections long available to spouses of nursing home residents to same-sex domestic partners as well. While nursing home residents must spend down to $2,000 (or slightly more in some states) of countable assets before Read Full Article

Medicare patients typically receive home care services because it is difficult or impossible for them to leave their homes. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) has now implemented a new Medicare requirement that doctors must meet face-to-face with their patients who are receiving home health care in order for the patient’s home Read Full Article

Many people are willing to voluntarily care for a parent or loved one without any promise of compensation. Even so, a growing number of people are entering into caregiver contracts (also called personal service or personal care agreements) with their family members. Having such a contract has many benefits. It rewards the family member doing Read Full Article

The loss of a loved one is tough to begin with, but if the loved one left debts behind, it can be even tougher. Family members generally should not have to pay for a decedent’s debts, but it is important to know your rights because collection agencies may target the decedent’s relatives. Usually the loved Read Full Article

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed a budget that would radically reshape both the Medicare and Medicaid programs and shift more costs to seniors and people with disabilities. The plan may well become the Republican Party’s de facto platform in 2012. The proposed budget, aimed at shrinking the nation’s deficit as well Read Full Article

Retirees cannot disenroll from Medicare Part A without also losing their Social Security benefits and refunding all the money paid to them, a federal judge has ruled. The judge dismissed a case, Hall v. Sebelius , brought by three retired federal employees who have reached age 65 and are receiving Social Security Retirement benefits, but Read Full Article